1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing device, and a relay server.
2. Description of the Background Art
Image processing systems including authentication servers that authenticate users who use a device connected through a network in a networking environment and allowing the users to use the device are known as conventional image processing systems. The authentication server connected to the network is for example an Active Directory. In such a case, an information processing device receives input of authentication information including a user name and a password and sends the authentication information input from the user to the authentication server, thereby authenticating the user who uses the information processing device such as a computer connected to the network. When the user is determined to be a registered user who is registered in the authentication server as a result of the authentication in the authentication server, the information processing device is put into a logged-in state to allow the user to use. For this kind of information processing systems, each user's password registered in advance in the authentication server is normally changed every certain period of time such as 90 days in view of security.
Recently, a user name and a password are set in advance in a printer driver in the information processing device. When starting the printer driver to send a print job to an image forming device such as a printer, the information processing device reads the user name and password set in advance in the printer driver to send them with the print job. In this case, the image forming device sends the user name and password attached to the print job to a relay server and acquires a result of the authentication in the authentication server via the relay server. If the result of the authentication in the authentication server shows that the user is the registered user, the image forming device executes the print job received from the information processing device. If the result of the authentication in the authentication server does not show that the user is the registered user, the image forming device is configured not to execute the print job received from the information processing device.
On the information processing system as described above, the password set in the printer driver is not automatically updated in response to changing of the user's password registered in advance in the authentication server. So, the user, for instance, may input the changed password correctly to log into the information processing device to use the information processing device. If the user gives a print instruction while logging into the information processing device, the information processing device may send a print job with the previous password before changing to the image processing device. In such a case, the image forming device acquires information not showing that the user is the registered user as a result of the authentication in the authentication server. The print job received from the information processing device is not executed then. Even though the user who gave the print instruction is the registered user authenticated in the authentication server, the print job is not executed. So, although the user goes to where the image processing device is placed after giving the print instruction, he or she cannot have a printing output.
In order to solve this involved problem, for example, when starting the printer driver to send the print job to the image forming device, the conventional information processing device sends the print job with information to skip the authentication if the information processing device has already been authenticated in the authentication server. This known technique is introduced for example in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-301344. According to this technique, when the information processing device is authenticated in the authentication server normally, authentication at receipt of the print job by the image forming device can be skipped. So, the above-described inconvenience may be prevented.
According to the conventional technique, however, the information processing device sends new information to skip the authentication with the print job to the image forming device. In this case, the print job is not allowed to be sent with a general protocol for transmission and receipt of a print job as a communication protocol between the printer driver and the image forming device. This brings a problem that interfaces for establishing communications with an enhanced communication protocol needs to be implemented in each of the printer driver in the information processing device and the image forming device.
In many of the above-described networking environments, more than one information processing devices are connected. Not every printer driver installed in advance in each of the information processing devices includes a function to attach the information to skip the authentication. The image forming device installed in the networking environment needs to be configured to receive appropriately both a print job sent with the general communication protocol for general job transmission and a print job sent with the enhanced communication protocol for skipping the authentication. In addition, the image forming device needs to switch a process for each of the received print job depending on the communication protocol for receipt of the print job. This involves a problem that an internal structure of the image forming device becomes complicated.
According to the above-described technique, the user sent the print job may not be verified whether or not he or she is the registered user at time of receipt of the print job by the image forming device. This may cause security compromise.